THE GREAT ESCAPE CONFERENCE THEMES REVEALED FOR 2020
MUSIC EDUCATION // MUSIC MEDIA // GLOBAL MARKETS

PLUS
SOUTH KOREA
ANNOUNCED AS LEAD COUNTRY PARTNER

GRASSROOTS SUICIDE PREVENTION
NAMED CHARITY PARTNER

The Great Escape has today announced the key themes that will be explored at its 2020 Conference. The festival for the new music business brings together music industry executives, innovators and entrepreneurs from across the world. The Great Escape Conference provides a platform for these delegates to learn about the latest trends, developments and opportunities in the music business. Taking place from 13-16 May 2020 in Brighton, England, Early Bird Delegate Passes are on sale now.

Unlike any other music conference in the UK, the core programme of the TGE Conference – curated and presented by music business experts CMU - puts the spotlight on one key theme each day, allowing delegates to dive much deeper and debate in more detail the big trends and developments affecting the business of new music and the wider music community today.

THE GREAT ESCAPE CONFERENCE THEMES

WEDNESDAY 13 MAY
The Music Education Conference
Music educators and music employers will again come together to discuss how music education, the music industry and the music community at large can better support early-career artists and musicians. This day will be based around the new ‘Pathways Into Music’ book from CMU, which is being published chapter-by-chapter over the next year before being presented as one publication at TGE. Mapping music careers, music education and local music industries, we will ask: how are you supporting future music talent?

THURSDAY 14 MAY
The Music Media Conference
The media business is in flux. And the way the music industry utilises media platforms is changing too. We put the spotlight on how consumers are interacting with media and influencers in 2020. Alongside the music press and music radio, what role do social media, playlists, gaming platforms, podcasters, sync and media partnerships now play in promoting and developing new talent? We ask the key question for artists, labels, promoters and managers: who is influencing your fanbase?

FRIDAY 15 MAY
The Global Markets Conference
The whole world is in the spotlight as we provide a concise overview of the major trends, developments, challenges and opportunities in each key music market. We’ll crunch all the stats to identify the strongest revenue streams, services, social media and genres in each region. And then we’ll put the spotlight on some key emerging markets, including India, China, Brazil, Nigeria and South Korea. Ask yourself: where will you escape to next? 

CONFERENCE HUB AT JURY’S INN BRIGHTON WATERFRONT
The Great Escape Conference returns to the Jury’s Inn Brighton Waterfront, which will be the official delegate and conference hotel for the 2020 festival. All of The Great Escape’s core conference strands and networking events will take place under one roof at the Jury’s Inn across the four days of the conference. Hotel rooms at the adjacent Queens Hotel and The Old Ship are also now available for booking.

LEAD COUNTRY PARTNER: SOUTH KOREA
As part of this year’s festival, The Great Escape is excited to announce South Korea as our main country partner. Last year The Great Escape welcomed Australia as lead country partner, which saw many of Australia’s most exciting emerging artists take to the stage throughout the festival. 2020 will mark South Korea’s fourth year involved with The Great Escape, with the country being put under the spotlight in both the festival and the conference. As part of this, we can already confirm South Korean artist Balming Tiger as part of the festival’s line-up. A diverse music collective taking their name from the famous Asian tiger balm ointment, Balming Tiger is a self-proclaimed ‘alternative multi-national k-pop band’, who will make their debut at The Great Escape Festival next year.

OFFICIAL CHARITY PARTNER: GRASSROOTS
Award-winning charity Grassroots has been named the festival’s official charity partner for 2020. Based in Brighton, Grassroots is the UK’s leading charity for suicide prevention, providing people with the skills and confidence needed to save lives through its training, innovation, and thought-provoking campaigns.

Rory Bett, CEO MAMA Festivals and VIP Nation Europe says: “We are very excited to be back for another year bringing together top industry professionals and creative minds under one roof. The Great Escape Conference is known for presenting a truly distinct programme and this year is no exception with music education, music media and the global music markets in the spotlight. It’s also great to welcome South Korea as our lead country partner. The impact Korean artists are having within the music industry today is very exciting and it’s important for The Great Escape to put the spotlight on and to celebrate that fact.”

A spokesperson for the music industry team at KOCCA, the Korea Creative Content Agency, says: “It is an honour to team with The Great Escape, who are known for showcasing the best new music and emerging talent. It will be our fourth year working with the festival and to be named lead country partner for 2020 is a great privilege. It is a very exciting time for the Korean music market and we are looking forward to bringing our new wave of artists to the Brighton shoreline next year.”